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Strike a light – firelighting part 2

Managing woodland for bees

Grants deadline In this issue

Events and News 3 SWA update Woodland grants deadline Getting started in your own wood Managing woodland for bees

• Woodland blogs and TV 5 • Light my fire 6 • Woodfair listing 2015 9

anks to our good friends at the Small Woods SWOG website and forum Association for the update on their events. We [email protected] hear a lot about managing woods for wildlife, SWOG co-ordinator and newsletter editor but bees are increasingly endangered and it is [email protected] good to learn how careful management of woodlands can help them. As promised, John e Small Woodland Owner’s Group has Clark concludes his firelighting articles with the been formed to aid the enjoyment, diversity and inflammatory topics of fire sources and different conservation of British woodland. e company types of fire. Finally, there are plenty of new Woodlands.co.uk sponsors the group, so videos on the woodlands.co.uk site, with membership is completely free and events are subjects ranging from roadkill to lath-making. free of charge unless otherwise stated. SWOG is open to anyone interested in the management or Copyright © Small Woodland Owners’ Group 2015 the enjoyment of woodland. Picture credits Cover G Smith; pp 2, 3, 4 Woodlands; Follow us on Twitter @_swog pp 6 –8 J Clark SWOG Course Listings Anyone who buys a wood from Woodlands.co.uk is given £300 towards a woodland course to help towards owners’ enjoyment and knowledge. ese courses can encompass anything from basket-weaving, green woodworking or pole lathe turning, to chainsaw tuition and woodland management. Buyers are asked to write a short resumé of their course, noting how effective they found it, and whether they would recommend it to others. We are gradually incorporating all these valuable comments into a database listing which can be searched by area or course topic. We hope it will be useful to anyone searching for help and guidance in choosing a woodland course. View it on the SWOG website here: www.swog.org.uk 2 News

ideas suggested by members and those attending gained from talking to someone else about how they manage their woodland.”

Forthcoming meetings include Update from the • Lower Vert Wood (5 June): advice on grants for PAWS restoration in the Low Weald Small Woods Association from the Woodland Trust. SWOG and the Small Woods Association • Berry Wood (27 June): a talk on dormice (SWA) are easy to confuse – the purpose of both and expert advice on coppicing. organisations is to support the owners of small • Knowlands Wood (11 July): birds and woodlands in the management and enjoyment butterflies – how to attract them. of their woodlands. In addition, the SWA has • Slips Wood (7 Sept): woodland charitable status and runs courses throughout management and beekeeping in woods. the year, many based at their headquarters in • Barnetts Wood (26 Sept): cutting, splitting Shropshire. and seasoning firewood – one woodlander’s Many SWOG members are members of the view. SWA, and those that purchased a wood from Contact [email protected] Woodlands.co.uk receive a year’s membership of for more details. the SWA. (SWOG, of course, is free.) ‘e SWA also runs a rolling programme of David Brown, the SWA co-ordinator in the reduced rate chainsaw courses in Plumpton south-east visits members throughout Kent, College’s woods at Flimwell, East Sussex. Surrey and Sussex in their woods on request, We are setting up a scheme so that members and sends out a regular informal south-east can find out who their local woodland owners newsletter to members on the mailing list with are so they can help each other, visit woods and information, news, requests and ads. He has socialize. Woodland archaeology surveys are also kindly written a short report. available free of charge. ‘We’ve had two very successful meetings in If you’re one of those SWOG members who members’ woods this year so far, one near have allowed their membership of the SWA to Uckfield in East Sussex and the other near Capel lapse, then why not re-join? Take a look at the in Surrey. e owners really appreciated the website, smallwoods.org.uk for more details.’

Woodland Grants – 30 June deadline 2015 are on the DEFRA website her e. ose wishing to apply for the tree health and As we’ve noted management plan grants from the Woodland before, it’s not the Capital Grants Scheme 2015 are reminded that easiest grant to apply the deadline for applications is 30 June 2015. for, but it is well worth Successful applicants will receive an the trouble. See our agreement once their application has been March newsletter for approved. A draft agreement will be issued more details about the within 11 weeks this could take longer if there scheme. are major issues to resolve. Full guidance on the Countryside Stewardship: woodland capital grants 3 News

Getting Started in Your Own Wood Revised, expanded and updated, Getting Started in your Own Wood is a new edition of Julian Evans’ hugely successful Badgers, Beeches and Blisters , first published in 2006 and reprinted four times. Every chapter has been revised, and two new chapters added by Will Rolls, author of e Log Book , on firewood and tree pests and diseases. Written by experts committed to the care and stewardship of woodland resources, it provides practical advice and guidance for those coming to woodland management for the first time. It is available from Permanent Publications for £12.95.

Managing woodland for bees A new study published in the science journal Biological Conservation identified that the amount of uncultivated land currently being devoted to bees and other pollinators on farmland needs to be doubled to boost declining insects such as bees, butterflies and hoverflies. e five-year study, which formed part of the Farm4bio project , was carried out by entomologists from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and Rothamsted Research. It suggests that at least a seven per cent increase in flower-rich habitat is needed in When pollinators such as queen bumblebees order to double pollinator abundance. e study come out of hibernation in early spring, they was carried out in two regions of England – need an ample supply of nectar from spring Wessex and East Anglia. flowers such as white-dead nettle, primrose, and Woodland owners can help too. Dr John bluebells, so that they can start a breeding Holland, head of farmland ecology with the colony. Woodland can therefore be a particularly GWCT explained, ‘It is vitally important to important habitat for pollinators in the protect hedges and woodland edges from landscape during early spring. One of the key fertiliser and herbicide drift which can damage ways to maximise the pollen and nectar in these existing plant communities that provide woodland areas is to create a diverse structure preferred habitats for bumblebees such as carder within the woodland by coppicing, and opening bees and red tailed bees.’ rides that help encourage the growth of flowers e study identified the importance of and a shrubby layer within the woodland. woodland edges for bees and butterflies and the Flowering trees are also very important and need to increase management in these areas for given their size, provide massive amounts of the benefit of pollinators. Dr Holland said, nectar and pollen.’ ‘Similar to farmland birds, wild bees can also To learn more about research into wildife and suffer during the ‘hungry gap’ when there is woodland habitats, visit the GWCT website . little spare food available. 4 News

Woodlands TV Identifying edible roadkill by the woodlands Tribal Ali describes the steps needed to identify Back after a few month’s absence, there are whether dead animals found by the side of the now no less than seven new videos to view. road are edible. How to make laths Axe safety For generations, laths were used in construction. Naturalist John Rhyder has learned through ey are still required in heritage restoration direct experience how best to handle axes safely work that involves lime plaster. when preparing firewood. Here he demonstrates Preparing roadkill pigeon to eat in the the stances, swing actions and range of cuts that woodlands can be made to ensure personal safety when Artist and Wild Food Forager, Alison Brierley – splitting wood with an axe. aka Tribal Ali – prepares the pigeon she finds at Foraging boletus mushrooms in the the side of the road for eating. woodlands Fraser Simpson continues his foraging for Urban forestry gourmet mushrooms. is month, he explores Cabinet-makers Jeff Segal, Paul Shrubshall and the Boletus series – funghi porcini. Andrew Marsh work together to mill a giant beech tree using an Alaskan chainsaw. e 200- Cooking with wild mushrooms from the year old tree was rotten with disease and unsafe woodlands to leave growing within a residential Last in the series, Fraser Simpson completes his environment. Keen conservationists, they like to foraging season by cooking with the edible wild use recycled timber in their work. mushrooms he’s picked.

Woodlands blogs Click on the titles to be taken to the full blogs on the Woodlands.co.uk website. Chatsworth Arboretum and Pinetum – highly managed woodlands Angus explores the extraordinary story of the woodland planting on the Chatsworth Estate undertaken by the 6th Duke of Devonshire in the 19th century. Woodlands come in many forms ere are several different (and sometimes complex) systems used to classify woodlands. Chris uses a straightforward method: which tree species is most prevalent, factoring in climate and geology. Woodland types: beech woodlands Native to southern England and Wales, beech woods are a much-loved feature of the landscape. e trees have a variety of uses, from hedging plants, to long-lived coppice and the timber was commonly used in furniture making. 5 Strike a light

In this month’s article, John Clark of Bowji bow, its string Bush Camping will look at the range of fire wrapped around a lighting devices available to us, the process of drill. e drill is building a fire and the range of different fires held in such a way and their uses that one end is forced into a piece Lighting techniques of wood known as a hearth. e purpose Matches/lighter of the technique is Both are fairly common forms of fire lighting. A to generate a hot disposable lighter is light, easy to carry and ember that can be effective. e pitfalls are that they run out of carefully collected, fuel and they are vulnerable to heavy use. It is introduced to a not difficult to break them by exerting excessive ‘nest’ of tinder and pressure when fingers are cold. Re-chargeable blown into flame. lighters require you to carry extra fuel. e hand dril l is Household matches are susceptible to damp. similar, but without All matches should be stored in weather- the mechanical proof containers – use containers designed for advantage that the bow affords. Both the purpose or old plastic 35mm film techniques require considerable practice and containers. Alternatively, simply wrap them in preparation. cellophane along with a strip of material to strike them on. Damp-proof matches are an Electrical excellent alternative. It is possible to create sufficient heat to start a Percussion fire simply by placing a handful of wire wool When struck with high carbon across the terminals of an ordinary 9-volt steel, ferrocerium battery. is technique will work equally well rods create a with a car battery. shower of extremely hot Solar sparks. ese sparks need to be e sun is a useful source directed onto the tinder of energy which can be A steel and flint also create harnessed using a intensely hot sparks. To generate magnifying glass to a spark, the steel is truck against focus the sun’s rays the flint at a shallow angle. onto a single spot on a When struck correctly, the suitable piece of tinder. A flint causes a tiny sliver of parabolic mirror (above) achieves the same superheated steel to fly off. In this case the result. tinder is held close to the leading edge of the flint to capture the spark. Compression e fire piston is an unusual device that Friction harnesses the increase of temperature that occurs ere are two friction techniques in common when air is rapidly compressed. A piece of use. e bow and drill involves the use of a 6 Strike a light

tinder picture). e plunger is placed in the top of the (commonly char wooden sheath and then slammed home with cloth) is placed the heel of the hand. e resultant heat is on the tip of the sufficient to generate an ember from the tinder shaft of the which can be added to kindling and nursed into plunger (tip of flame. steel shaft in Preparing firewood wood is often still dry. By splitting the wood the dry interior can be exposed and will burn Variety of kindling sizes readily. When preparing to make a fire, spend a significant amount of time collecting firewood. Feather sticks You will need to collect a range of different sizes In order to aid you in getting a fire started in from pencil thin, to larger logs as thick as your damp/wet conditions, it is possible to process arm (or thicker). dead wood by creating shavings ( below left ). Firewood needs to be dead and dry. Even in is shaved dry wood (with a feathered end) wet weather it is possible to find sufficiently dry is called, not unsurprisingly, a feather stick. So kindling. long as the feathers are kept dry, feather sticks Wood on the ground tends to be sodden so will light in even the dampest of conditions. look up into the branches of trees. ere will be Laying a fire dead twigs either still attached to the tree, or On damp or very cold ground it is important broken off by previous winds but still snagged not to set your kindling straight onto the within the tree’s branches. ground. It is good practice to create a layer of Dry wood sounds different from live or wet small sticks as a ‘raft’ on the ground first. is wood. It should break cleanly with a snap. Hit does three things: the larger stuff with the back of your knife – the • Keeps the kindling clear of wet ground. sound will be sharper than that of live or wet • Prevents the cold from frozen ground from wood robbing heat from kindling. Split wood • Allows the flames to breath. Even dead wood lying on the ground that A pair of ‘ventilation sticks should be set in a appears to be wet can be used. Although the ‘V’ shape on top of the raft. is allows you to wood is wet on the outside, the inside of the lift the kindling to help the air get to the fire.

7 Strike a light

Types of fire Cooking fire Cooking fires need to be relatively small and prepared with a mixture of soft and hard wood. e soft wood helps get the fire started, but initally it tends to be far too hot to cook on. Hard wood creates coals which will burn longer and give off a less fierce, more even heat for cooking. Long fire e Swedish long fire (or ‘all night’ fire) is also a very effective fire for keeping warm. You will be able to sleep full length alongside it to keep your whole body warm.

Swedish log fire Take a pine log, make a deep cut in the form of a cross to midway down the log. A breathing hole cut at the base on one of the crosses is stuffed with kindling. e fire burns from inside and creates a column of flame that is extremely hot and ideal for boiling water.

Signal fire A signal fire is constructed in a tall column with plenty of air space below the wood and crowned with greenery. Its purpose is to be seen and so this form of construction ensures that smoke is ‘punched’ into the sky in a long column. A well designed signal fire can be seen for miles. Getting to know your neighbours useful, particularly when dealing with security or track issues. And it’s always great to have a Meeting the neighbours is often a haphazard chat or show off your latest kit over a cuppa! event for woodland owners – we all potter down to our woods at different times, and weeks or even months can go past without bumping into them. If you would like to be put in touch with your immediate neighbours, just email [email protected] and I will try to arrange it. We never share personal details without the owner’s permission, so, equally, if you simply want to be left alone, we won’t bother you. Experience shows that local contacts are really 8 WoodfaSirusb 2 ti0t1l5e

Woodlands.co.uk and SWOG will be at Free entry to Bentley Woodfair Woodfest Wales, Westonbirt and Bentley. Please send us details of your event. One of the highlights of the year is the woodfair at Bentley, where SWOG has a stall The Arb Show decked out with woodland products, various 5–6 June 2015 Westonbirt Arboretum displays and Rich’s rocket stoves, which www.trees.org.uk/e-ARB-Show provide a constant supply of tea. The SWOG team is small – just two of us – and we are Royal Highland Show 2015 always really grateful for the support of 18 –21 2015 June Edinburgh SWOG members in manning the stall. www. royalhighlandshow.org If you would like to help out by doing a Woodfest Wales couple of hours on the stall in return for free 26 –28 June 2015 Caerwys, North Wales entry, please get in touch. www.woodfestwales.co.uk Wychwood Forest Fair 6 September 2015 Charlbury, Oxfordshire Blackdown Hills Woodland Fair www.wychwoodproject.org 4th July Wrangway near Wellington, Somerset www.woodbiz.co.uk Confor Woodland Show 2015 10 –11 September 2015 Woodlands Country Show Longleat Estate, Wiltshire 11 –12 July 2015 Royal Victoria Country Park, www.confor.org.uk Southampton, Hampshire www.woodlandcrafts.co.uk European Woodworking Show 12–13 September 2015, Cressing Temple Barns, New Forest and Hampshire Show Essex www.europeanwoodworkingshow.eu 29 –31 July 2015 Brockenhurst, Hampshire www.newforestshow.co.uk Bentley Weald 20th Anniversary Woodfair South Downs Show and Hampshire Woodfair 18 –20 September 2015 Lewes, East Sussex 15 –16 August 2015 Queen Elizabeth Country www.bentley.org.uk/events Park, Hampshire Surrey Hills Woodfair www.southdownsshow.co.uk 3–4 October 2015 Birtley House, Bramley www.surreyhills.org Treefest at Westonbirt Arboretum 29 –31 August 2015 Tetbury, Gloucestershire Cranborne Chase Woodfair www.forestry.gov.uk 3–4 October 2015, Fordingbridge, Hampshire www.woodfair.org.uk Stock Gaylard Oak Fair 29 –30 August 2015 Peebles Wood Market Sturminster Newton, Dorset 24–25 October 2015 Tweed Green & www.stockgaylard.com Community Hall, Peebles, Scottish Borders www.forest-festival.com/wood-market National Forest Woodfair 31 August 2015 Beacon Hill Country Park, Leicestershire www.nationalforest.org

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